Igor Sikorsky First Helicopter Flight

There are few great men who have permanently changed their field with their inventions and contributions, but Igor Sikorsky is one of them. Igor Sikorsky was a famous Russian engineer and inventor. He is perhaps most well-known for having created the first four engine plane as well as creating the first working helicopter. He was born in Kiev which at the time was considered Russia but today is considered Ukraine. He studied in his home city and then moved to Paris to continue studying aeronautic design. It was in 1913 that he built the first four engine plane. It took decades of continued development working with this first craft before the first working helicopter was able to successfully conduct its test flight in 1939.

In 1919 this famed inventor had moved to the United States permanently. In 1925 he formed a Manufacturing Corporation which was located on Long Island. This company evolved from a manufacturing corporation into an aviation Corporation. This company would later become a division of united aircraft Corporation as well as United Technologies Corporation. He was able to receive multiple honors and accolades as the head of America's pioneering aerospace company read

He is perhaps most well-known for his first flight in September 1939. The world's first helicopter took flight out of Connecticut. He had designed it himself and his aircraft division had built it. This helicopter became the first helicopter to incorporate a single main rotor as well as a tail rotor design. This flight was piloted by the inventor himself was only able to last a few seconds in the air. This original flight test was actually tethered to the ground and the first free flight did not take place until 1940 in the month of May. The invention used for this first free flight was 28 feet in diameter and had a three blade rotor which enabled the blades to move at the speed between 250 and 300 mph. the concepts of this inventor demonstrated created the foundation for the first production helicopters and soon became the standard for all helicopter manufacturing internationally.

The patent application for direct lift aircraft was submitted by the inventor in 1931 and it included all of the major engineering features that were associated with this first helicopter. The patent was granted in 1935. Today the original helicopter remains on display at the Henry Ford Museum due to the fact that it was presented by the inventor to Henry Ford in 1943.